Rakuten Mobile and NEC on Monday announced the signing of an MoU to promote Open RAN in global mobile telecommunications markets.
In Japan, NEC is currently providing 5G radio units (5G RU) for Rakuten Mobile’s fully virtualized cloud native mobile network. The two companies are also jointly developing Rakuten Mobile’s containerized 5G Stand Alone (SA) core network (5GC). Under the MoU, Rakuten Mobile and NEC will expand upon their domestic collaboration to date to provide 5G and 4G Radios and engineering services for Open RAN systems aligned with O-RAN specifications for global markets, and accelerate the global expansion of the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP).
As 5G services expand and diversify, both Rakuten Mobile and NEC are looking to promote Open RAN standards in the global market in order to further boost network scalability and the operational efficiency made possible by virtualization. RCP, Rakuten Mobile’s fully virtualized and containerized cloud-native mobile network platform, allows telecom companies and enterprises around the world to deploy virtualized networks at high speed and low cost.
By leveraging deep experience in construction and operation of a fully virtualized cloud native mobile network and providing revolutionary services and expertise in Open RAN, Rakuten Mobile and NEC aim to provide high quality network technologies to customers around the world.
Tareq Amin, Representative Director, EVP and CTO of Rakuten Mobile
With NEC’s excellent level of technical expertise in radio and track record of providing our high quality 5G sub-6 RU, this collaboration will accelerate the global expansion of Rakuten Communications Platform and promote adoption of Open RAN in global markets.
Atsuo Kawamura, EVP, NEC
NEC is already providing Rakuten Mobile with BSS/OSS, 5G RU and 5G core solutions for its revolutionary fully virtualized cloud native network. We hope to continue contributing to the expansion of the Rakuten Communications Platform as it rolls out around the globe.
